Dentistry—the oldest medical profession—carries with it an unfortunately mixed reputation. Dentists must put up with peoples’ fear of drills (unfortunately reinforced by such films as “Little Shop of Horrors”) and the wrongheaded ignorance of the profession by health insurance companies—who as a result end up paying for heart surgeries when they could have just covered the extraction and/or replacement of infected teeth. So how much the worse when a Texas dentist must contend with a formal complaint made to their regulatory Board and the potential wreckage this may make of their career.
The practice of dentistry in Texas is regulated by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. The Board’s regulatory purpose is to protect the citizens of Texas from unqualified frauds and from misbehavior on the part of licensed dentists. This means it tends to give allegations made in a complaint the benefit of the doubt and to come at dentists from a prosecutorial standpoint. That’s true even where a complaint may have no basis in reality.
Due Process
Yet dentists are permitted due process. Once the Board begins its investigation into a complaint against a dentist’s license, the dentist is given the opportunity to defend their license.
First, the Board will examine a complaint to determine whether it alleges anything that actually falls within its jurisdiction—of course, it interprets this fairly broadly. When it makes such a determination, it then launches an official investigation and informs the dentist of the allegations made against them. This often comes as a gut punch, but it’s essential to recover as quickly as possible from this blow—not to ignore it or assume that the complaint will simply go away, even though the dentist knows they’ve done nothing wrong. The notification letter will request a response, which is essentially meant to be the dentist’s side of the story and any evidence that backs it up. This response is, in effect, the first line of defense in the case and, if properly drafted with the aid of an experienced professional license defense attorney, can help contain the scope of everything that happens afterward in the process.
Dental License Defense Lawyers
So if you’re a Texas dentist who learns a complaint has been filed against you, you should call an experienced professional license defense attorney to help with your defense. BERTOLINO LLP proudly represents those fighting threats to their licenses across the entire State of Texas, and we have a solid track record of success.
To best serve our clients, we have offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a case evaluation.
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